


This isn't the way things are supposed to be!

by Twistedluck



Series: The World Beyond [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Amnesia, Time Travel, slightly graphic discription of injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 4,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26892283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twistedluck/pseuds/Twistedluck
Summary: Ace was pulled through time from the end of Marineford to just a few days after he officially joined Whitebeard's crew. The current healthy Ace was replaced by the one straight out of the crew's worst nightmare. Just barely healed in time, Ace still suffers from his traumatic injuries and can remember nothing of his life. Meanwhile the crew is desperate to find the one responsible for hurting their new little brother.
Series: The World Beyond [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996990
Comments: 140
Kudos: 275
Collections: Time Travel and World Travel





	1. Melted

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to have short chapters. If I make any mistakes, please let me know. Thank you for reading!

It was a beautiful night. Marco was on watch and it was tranquil. A few of his brothers were still wandering about on deck. As he looked over towards Pop’s chair, there was a commotion on the other end of the ship. A bright light flashed out, bringing daytime to the late hour for a second, but when the light went out, so did the ability to see in the dark. As the blindness registered a bloodcurdling scream rang through the darkness. 

Marco, using his haki, rushed toward the sound. He heard silence from the screamer, but many boots stamping on wood as his brothers came up to the deck. The phoenix’s regeneration finally kicked in and healed his eyes. Laying facedown on the deck with a hole through his chest, right through his brand new tattoo, was Ace. 

He prayed to any listening deity and to the ocean itself, that he wasn’t too late. As soon as he reached his fallen brother, Marco once again activated the healing powers of the phoenix and shoved his flaming arm into the hole. He regrew the melting heart, the ash-ridden lungs, and the spine with it’s fried nerves. Ribs sprouted from the spine and Marco noticed he was sweating and shaking but he couldn’t stop, he had to continue. Muscles and nerves sprang into being before everything started to tilt sideways. Hands were suddenly on him and he fought them so he could continue to pour everything he had into his brother. Someone was successful in removing him and as his vision greyed out, he recognized them. The giant hands could belong to no one other than his Pops.

“Rest my son. You have done all you can. Let the nurses do their jobs now.” And Marco knew no more.


	2. Evaporation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be a new feature in his nightmares. Marco’s face of panicked desperation, paler than the cook had ever seen, sweating and shaking as he rushed to fix the void in Ace’s body.

Thatch sprinted towards the deck when he heard the screaming. He’d been preforming inventory on the food stocks, which was much more important now than ever before considering they now homed a black hole, when it happened. He wasn’t the first on deck by a long shot, but he did catch Marco swooping down to a lump on the deck. _His eyes were on fire? What had just happened?_ Marco plunged his flaming arm through the lump, which now lit up to show a body with a suspiciously familiar tattoo. Thatch put on an extra burst of speed to see the hole through his new baby brother, that Marco was desperately trying to heal. 

This was going to be a new feature in his nightmares. Marco’s face of panicked desperation, paler than the cook had ever seen, sweating and shaking as he rushed to fix the void in Ace’s body. There was no blood on the deck. How was that possible? What was going on?

Thatch saw bone and flesh grow around the flaming arm, apparently trapping it in place, and franticly tried to pull Marco away. Not entirely, but just enough that his hand was not caught and wouldn’t further hurt Ace when removed. Marco didn’t seem to recognize him and stubbornly fought him away with his free hand, though his eyes never moved from Ace. Pops and the nurses arrived and joined Thatch in trying to partially remove the stubborn bird. Muscle had formed around the bone when Pops gently but firmly, pulled Marco away. Thatch didn’t pay too much attention to his older brother, as he was watching Ace’s torso, now almost fully reformed but without skin, expand with air. He was breathing. 

The nurses flew into action. They checked what they could as Ace lay, still unconscious. They gingerly turned him over and saw the same situation on his front. Blood had started dripping from the edges of the skin. The nurses skillfully bandaged him up before placing him on a stretcher.

Thatch followed them out to the infirmary but was shut out. He waited. He made a futile effort to relax against the wall, but was too alarmed to do so.

It wasn’t long before a nurse came out and asked for Pops and the other commanders. Thatch grabbed a loitering crew mate to inform Pops. He wasn’t going to leave the infirmary. He and the nurse had a silent stand off, while they waited for Whitebeard to arrive.

A quarter of an hour later, and the pounding of footsteps alerted them to the approaching crowd. 

“Pops, Marco seems to have fixed all of the interior damage to Ace’s chest cavity. However. The edges of the skin look melted and something that could hurt a Fire man like that would have evaporated the blood instantly. Not just inside the wound itself, but also in the surrounding area. Marco fixed the biggest issue, but Ace is still in danger. His blood was not replaced, and as of this moment, we are running low on his type. Ace is a universal doner, or S-. He, himself, cannot receive any other blood type. We need anyone, regardless of species, with this type to donate or Ace will still die.”

Of course. The self-sacrificial asshole, has a blood type that is also self-sacrificial. Why is Thatch still surprised?


	3. Murderous Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If the fire-man died someone else was going to find themselves in the same state… Well. Someone was going to die anyway, but there were plenty of ways to make it more painful.

Whitebeard’s face was a mix of pissed off and worried as he carried Marco to his room. Not only were his first commander and new brat out of commission for the foreseeable future, but someone (A soon to be very dead someone if Newgate had anything to say about it) had the audacity to attack one of his sons on the Moby Dick. As far as the captain was aware, the phoenix had never healed a wound as big as Ace’s before, not including on Marco’s own person of course. How could it have even happened? Marco was on watch and there were plenty of other people on deck. Someone had to have seen something… 

After he talked to the nurses, there was going to be a talk with anyone who had been close by. A soft interrogation is probably a better description. He also needed Marco’s account, but who knows when the exhausted man will wake? 

When Newgate reached the Commander’s quarters, he quietly opened the door to the first commander’s room. Walked through the tidy space and gently lay his son on the bed. Still lost in his, slightly murderous, thoughts, the captain pensively looked at the phoenix. He was still pale and breathing hard, though neither was as bad as it had been on deck. As quietly as he could, he left the room and shut the door. 

One son taken care of, it was time to check on the other. With powerful strides he passed through the halls of his ship. If the fire-man died someone else was going to find themselves in the same state… Well. Someone was going to die anyway, but there were plenty of ways to make it more painful. 

Halfway to the infirmary, he met with a nurse and all of his commanders save Marco and Thatch. He continued on his way with the rest trailing behind him. Outside the infirmary, he found his head chef full on glaring at the nurse, as if trying telepathy and failing miserably. Once they had all gathered in the hallway, the nurse spoke. This was not devastating news, however it wasn’t good news either. The commanders were released to find out if anyone they were in charge of could donate. Izo and Jozu were also tasked with checking the first and second in addition to their own.

The Moby 2 and 3 were ordered to join up with the Moby Dick as soon as possible, so anyone with S- blood could donate. Whitebeard just hoped that they had enough of the rare blood type on board his ship at the moment to keep Ace alive until then.


	4. Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’d been three days since that night. Haruta was pissed. Nothing. Zip, zilch, nada, and diddly-squat. No one knew anything about what happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a filler chapter because the words are not matching up for the next one... I tried for a bit of humor to break up the angst, but I'm not sure it worked.

It’d been three days since that night. Haruta was pissed. Nothing. Zip, zilch, nada, and diddly-squat. No one knew anything about what happened. Haruta had theories, but nothing concrete. The only one who had a clue about what was inside the wound before it healed was Marco, but he only woke up yesterday and Pops wasn’t letting anyone near him.

The pint sized commander got a good look at Ace’s torso when he convinced (bribed) the nurses to let him stay when they changed his bandages. The fire-man’s back was a starburst pattern of missing skin, the edges slightly lumpy. Only the very ends of the crossbones on his week old tattoo survived. Whereas the patch of missing skin on the back was very wide, the front was a perfectly round hole. Unless the marines had invented soundless, vanishing, seastone cannonballs, the only thing Haruta could think of that would make such a wound was an Acid devil fruit user. 

Haruta couldn’t think of anyone who would want to kill the kid. Ok, that was a lie. Lots of people had wanted to kill the brat. Emphasis on the had. But what else would one expect when some random asshole of a rookie pirate captain decided to try being an assassin with an unhealthy fixation on pops? The kid had spent the better part of the last four months being a assclown. So wouldn’t anyone with a grudge attack then? Rather than after he finally joined the crew? 

The placement of the attack also had Haruta worried. Could someone be trying to send a death threat to pops? But if that was the case, why wouldn’t they just attack the man if they were already on the ship? There were too many questions without answers for his liking.

In the early morning of the first day, everyone was blessed with the knowledge that on the Moby Dick, Moby 2, and Moby 3; there were a grand total of 52 people with S- blood. Only six of them aboard the Moby Dick itself. Two of which couldn’t donate for reasons that the nurses refused to tell him. 

Haruta, after getting frustrated and subsequently thrown out of his office by his subordinates, went to try to cheer up Thatch. That self-appointed mission was a bust, simply because Thatch was stress baking. Kind of. If it had just been the stress baking, Haruta would have had no problems tearing the chef away, but once the scent of cinnamon hit, the man knew it wasn't going to happen. He had heard the stories. The phoenix has a thing for cinnamon. Apparently Marco used to attack anyone who had cinnamon baked goods and then steal the treat before disappearing. Nowadays, the first commander didn’t do that unless it was one of the rare times he was injured, stressed, or extremely tired. Knowing Marco, once he woke up, he’d be all three.

On the beginning of the second day, Haruta went to check on Marco, only to find that everything, literally every surface including Marco himself, was covered in baked goods. He nimbly maneuvered around the snicker-doodles, tip-toed past the cinnamon flan, and quickly made his way to the rolls on the phoenix’s chest before being chased out of the room by an angry dual spatula wielding Thatch.

Just as the first of the two ships arrived with 18 men who could donate, Marco woke up and Pops disappeared. No one besides Thatch has seen them for the last 24 hours.

Haruta will make it his mission to find out more tomorrow.


	5. Exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco needed to find out what exactly was going on and he needed to also check on Ace

He woke up. Harsh panting from the nightmare he just had filled the room. The man groaned as he turned over. Lumps moved and fell to the floor. A cinnamon smell that he just now noticed permeated the air.

Marco sat up. It wasn’t graceful and it took most of his strength to stay there instead of collapsing back onto his pillow. Looking around he saw the room filled with his favorites. Why would Thatch do this? Why was he so exhausted in the first place? He picked up the rolls on his lap and started to eat, the phoenix making pleased noises with every bite. He knew that there was no way he could eat all the food in his room, but everything in his being was screaming, ‘MINE!’

After he finished off a fair few of the treats, he gripped the bed and moved so he could attempt to stand on shaky legs. Someone had made a path from the door to an empty chair next to his bed, so something was going on. He left one of his hands supporting himself on the bed frame and moved the other one to the chair. Marco needed to find out what exactly was going on and he needed to also check on Ace after that nightmare.

Using the chair, he was able to get himself to the door. Everything was so difficult to do. His limbs felt like they weighed over a hundred pounds each, instead of how light they actually were due to his hollow bones. Opening his door, he heard a commotion from the deck and decided to make his way there. He leaned on the wall and tried to have the ship take most of his weight as he moved forward. Once he reached the stairs, he glared at them. Something so simple was not going to get the best of him. Grasping the handrail, he started going up. A little over halfway his legs gave out. Before he truly fell an arm snaked around his waist and held him in place. Marco leaned into whichever of his brothers caught him, totally spent after his short journey. 

“Marco?” It was Izou. The phoenix didn’t reply, content to just stand there in the middle of the steps and just breathe. “Damn it.” The gunslinger picked him up carefully and finished making their way up to where the activity was. “POPS!” Izou bellowed over whatever was happening. Was that Moby 3? Why did that need to be here? Everything halted before many people converged on the pair.

“Marco?” “When did he get up?” “What’s wrong with him?” “Marco! You’re awake!” Marco Marco Marco. It seemed to never end.

“Clear the way! Let me pass!” Pops’ voice commanded. 

Marco looked up at him as Izou passed him over. He sometimes forgot how large Pops actually was. Marco seemed absolutely tiny in Whitebeard's arms. “Pops? I’m tired.”

“Gurararara. Then rest son.” Pops smiled down at him and Marco closed his eyes as the world swayed around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a very short chapter, I'm so sorry. But you get two chapters in two days, so there's something. I wanted this to actually go somewhere, but Marco took over and was too tired to do anything. Someone's going to cooperate with me next chapter I swear.


	6. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thatch couldn’t stop thinking. If this continued, he’d turn into Haruta. He was too pretty to turn into Haruta, damn it!

After Marco had rested, he reported that Ace’s heart was _melted_ and the ends of his nerves were fried. Haruta’s acid theory was looking more likely. The ash in his lungs could be from his own flames interacting with the stuff. Thatch knew that there were more theories and rumors floating around the ship (Ha! Floating!) but this was the most likely. 

Thatch was banned from the infirmary. Apparently, he was too distracting for the nurses and not in the good way. He wasn’t the only one either. Unless the person went by Pops, Marco, or was one of the nursing staff, you were not allowed in. (With the obvious exception for injuries, and woe betide anyone who faked one to visit.) No one had the heart to tell Pops no, and Marco’s healing fire was no joke. Ace was still laying there. Worrying everyone. 

It’d been more than a week. Ace was proclaimed as healed as he could be yesterday. Money had been raised to pay for a new tattoo wherever Ace wanted it. And with the amount the crew put together he could get whatever he wanted as well. 

Thatch couldn’t stop thinking. If this continued, he’d turn into Haruta. He was too pretty to turn into Haruta, damn it! No matter what the rest of the crew would say, Thatch was no idiot. He couldn’t see any end game to someone attacking his new baby brother. They’d turned the ship over multiple times looking for a culprit and there was no one. There were no missing boats either and they were weeks of sailing to get to the next island, so unless the Dark King or a fishman had a grudge there was no way for anyone to hide. And even then, the theory was for a devil fruit user, so that was out.

There was only one option that made any tiny bit of sense and Thatch refused to consider that one of his brothers would do something like this. There was no way… _Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another filler chapter, but with the tiniest bit of necessary foreshadowing.... not the most exciting thing, but next chapter things should really start.


	7. Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace’s eyes were open and staring at the ceiling. “Back among the living, are we?” Marco drawled out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I only updated yesterday, but I couldn't wait to post this.

Quiet infirmaries were usually a good sign, however Marco almost longed for the chaos from this morning. Ace had apparently woken up, at the one time he was alone the ill-timed asshole, promptly set his bed on fire and went back to sleep on the flaming mattress. The nurses wouldn’t go near it, so it fell to Marco, who was very careful not to touch the cuff, to place sea-stone on his sleeping brother. If he didn’t know better, Marco’d swear Ace planned that mayhem. 

After removing the damned stone, Ace was not allowed to be alone at any point. After all, if he’d woken up once, it wouldn’t be long before he woke up again. Marco, foreseeing a long wait, had stated that if he was going to be down here, he was going to be productive damn it. Division members were ordered to bring in a desk and a chair, along with the majority of his paperwork. He not only had his own division, but he was still overseeing the second as well. Any sensitive documents were to be locked in his room, so a certain logia wouldn’t accidentally destroy them.

He’d made it almost all the way through the pile when he heard movement from the bed. Marco carefully placed his paperwork on the incomplete pile and turned around. Ace’s eyes were open and staring at the ceiling. “Back among the living, are we?” Marco drawled out. 

“Wha-?” Ace quietly started before cutting himself off.

Marco gently handed the man a glass of water as he sat up. “How are you feeling? Any residual pain? There generally shouldn’t be, but I’ve never healed anything as extensive as that.”

Ace was quiet. He hadn’t even taken a drink and was staring at his hands. His gaze moved from there to Marco, and then finally around the room. Alarm bells were ringing in Marco’s head. Something was definitely off.

“Who are you?” And wasn’t that a sucker punch in the gut. Were there head wounds he’d missed? It was over a week since he originally healed Ace, would he even be able to solve this new problem? “Where is this? You know me?” The questions were coming faster, as were his breaths, and in his panic he set his hands on fire. He yelped and dropped the glass. Water splashed everywhere, and Ace started to full on hyperventilate. 

“Ace! Ace yoi! Look at me. Breathe with me. In and out. Come on.” Ace wasn’t listening, too busy gaping at his fire. Marco set his own hands alight, grabbed Ace’s and placed them on his chest. “Breathe! Inhale with me.” Ace, still staring at the now purple flames, did as instructed.

It took a few minutes before everything was calm again. Ace looked at the fire, and then at Marco. “Does everybody catch on fire?”

Marco couldn’t help it, he started cackling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It just boggles my mind that so many people want to read this... Thank you all so much!


	8. Watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace had been released from medical a few days ago. He was relearning names, how to sail a ship, how to use his devil fruit with help from Marco, and (to everyone’s general horror) how to prank.

On the deck of the Moby Dick, Newgate sat and watched his kids. Ace had been released from medical a few days ago. He was relearning names, how to sail a ship, how to use his devil fruit with help from Marco, and (to everyone’s general horror) how to prank. Whitebeard loved watching; Ace was more relaxed than anyone onboard had ever seen the kid. He smiled and laughed easier, even his previous crew had noticed. 

He just wished it hadn’t come at such a cost. Ace knew nothing of his life. The nurses called him a blank slate. They also said that there would be no telling if any of his memories, let alone all of them, would return. Physical memories, as best they could tell, were the same. Everything was picked up so quickly, though the previous Spade pirates mentioned his learning curve was insane to begin with, that Newgate just hoped it was a sign that things would return to normal sooner rather than later.

On his request, Marco had commanded the redirection of Moby to a mostly deserted island. They would reach it in a few more days. 

Whitebeard watched Ace run from Marco and Thatch, both of them had their hair dyed bright pink, when the kid ran into Teach. 

“Zehahahaha! You should watch where you’re going brat.” He said as he walked past the trio. Teach didn’t notice what the two commanders and the captain saw. Ace flinched when Teach laughed. Whitebeard alone was gifted with the absolute terror and confusion on his new son’s face. 

What did this mean? Did it even mean anything? Even though he hated the thought of one of his sons betrayal, Whitebeard was going to have the more discreet of his commanders keep an eye on Teach.


	9. News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The galley was as chaotic as usual when Haruta frantically ran in. Whitebeard and Marco were sitting, discussing something quietly and were interrupted when Haruta rushed over with the newspaper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter did not want to get written. I'm not entirely happy with it, but it's as good as I can get it at the moment.

They’d been on this island for two days. Whitebeard wanted Ace to get a new tattoo, but the brat was arguing that he needed longer to get to know them before he ‘rejoined,’ as if his loss of memory meant that he’d left the crew. The village was nice enough and the villagers knew that the island was under their protection, so they wouldn’t do or say anything to the crew.

Haruta had also convinced Ace that the uninhabited side was great for hunting and training his powers further than he could on the ship. Thatch and Izou headed out with him. 

The galley was as chaotic as usual when Haruta frantically ran in. Whitebeard and Marco were sitting, discussing something quietly and were interrupted when Haruta rushed over with the newspaper. “Pops! We may have a problem.” He handed over the paper.

 **Trouble in Paradise?**

There was a picture of Ace from the day they docked, the terrible scar and tattoo remains on his back prominently on display. The article mentioned that Ace, former potential Shichibukai and brand new member of the Yonko Whitebeard (as shown from the battle with the marines a two and a half weeks ago, showing a picture of Ace with his brand new tattoo from that battle in comparison) was mysteriously fatally injured between then and now. What followed was some speculation on what happened. 

It wasn’t anything any of the Haruta hadn’t already thought of, but it was worrying that it was already in the news. Then again, Ace was already followed as a ‘Supernova’ and reporters were always inconspicuously following the Yonko crews, so he had already planned for this. But Haruta was hoping for a few more weeks until news was released. Damn that feather-brain News Morgan.

Whitebeard and Marco frowned over the paper before starting a low conversation with Haruta. That new tattoo may have to wait.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thatch had bought all the provisions he needed, but Ace had somehow conned him into hunting some of the animals on the island. 
> 
> It’ll be fun he said. 
> 
> We’ll have extra meat he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another filler chapter, but I wanted some pure fun in story this without the plot ruining it.

The Moby Dick would leave the island tomorrow. Thatch had bought all the provisions he needed, but Ace had somehow conned him into hunting some of the animals on the island. 

It’ll be fun he said. 

We’ll have extra meat he said.

Nothing prepared Thatch for running from tigers that knew fucking armament haki. What the fucking fuck?!?!? Ace was giggling as he ran. Marco plunged down next to them. Fuckers looked like there were no worries in the world at the moment.

“I thought you were a hunter extraordinaire Thatch.”

“Shut up Marco.”

A pair of snickers was the only response he received. Ace grinned and dropped back to attack the multiplying tigers chasing them. With his fists. The brat didn’t have any memories on how to use haki, what did he think that was going to do? 

Thatch’s question was quickly answered as a fist (not on fire for some reason, was there something wrong with their resident pyromaniac?) hit a black tiger and sent it flying into the rest of the group, which couldn’t move fast enough to avoid it. The previously advancing predators disappeared into the surrounding area. _What the fuck?_

“What the fuck?”

“Language Thatch, there are impressionable ears present.”

“Fuck you both!” This was punctuated with fire sent at them. Why was this Thatch’s life?

“ASSHOLE! Watch the hair!”

“Language!”

“How am I wrong? Ace is an asshole about everything. It defines his personality even with the memory loss!”

The two bitchfaces he receives are glorious and are going to be a treasured memory.

“Why are you both looking at me like that? I’m right!”

Marco sighs, picks up Thatch and throws him into the river that’s conveniently nearby.

“It’s time to go back to the Moby, yoi. Ace would you like a ride?” And with two wicked smirks at the soaked and flailing redhead, Ace climbed on Marco’s back and they disappeared above the trees.


	11. Ocean Tennis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ship’s wake up call was heralded by cannonballs and the waves of power from Pops.

It was not going to be a good day, that much was obvious. The ship’s wake up call was heralded by cannonballs and the waves of power from Pops. Ace and Marco had already been on deck sparing. The two ran to the rail to get a look at their attackers. It took a moment to locate the small cannonless boat on the water. Ace froze. Marco looked over at him. He didn’t seem to be breathing, eyes wide, and skin pale. 

“Ace?”

Ace didn’t answer but raised a hand to his head as he took in gasping breaths. A figure on the boat threw another cannonball. 

Well… that solved the mystery of the attacker but didn’t answer the why.

Ace bolted from the rail, startling the phoenix. Marco didn’t think too much on it as he launched himself up into the air to kick the cannonball right back. Which seemed to start some weird tennis match between the phoenix and the marine hero.

Ace on the other hand… ran to Pops? More accurately behind Pops. Marco’s attention was half on the volleys of the cannonball and half on his brother. He froze as Ace _climbed Pop’s back like a monkey_ … The teenager clung onto the jacket between Edward Newgate’s shoulder blades. 

A small exclamation of “Don’t let him get me!” reached his ears as the damned cannonball hit Marco in his slack jawed, Armament covered, face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am extremely sorry this took so long to come out. I finished my degree, was relocated across the country for a career, had most of my files corrupted when my computer (and the rest of my stuff) showed up, and immediately after starting my new job I was given a two week notice for a layoff (due to the pandemic). The company paid for my relocation, but they won't pay for me to go back home. So I'm in a new place, with no one I know, without a job. I am full of panic currently.
> 
> So... updates on any of my works might be sporadic for the near future. My apologies.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I'm so sorry that it's taken me four months to write a chapter!!! I've not been in the best place, but I'm in the process of picking myself back up. Thank you for sticking with me!!!

Newgate discreetly startled when he felt small tugs on the back of his coat. He had been paying attention to Garp and the absurd game he was playing with Marco. The Whitebeard captain angled his bisento to look at the son who was clinging on to an awkward part of his back. Ace looked absolutely terrified, even before his exclamation rang out. 

Whitebeard took most of his attention off of the marine, trusting his sons to handle him for now. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out why Ace would know Garp. (Not why he’d be terrified of him, because… well because Garp…) 

In his moment of inattention, Garp sailed close enough to the ship to jump up onto the deck. For someone without a devil fruit, Garp’s abilities were ludicrous. “WHAT DID YOU PIRATES DO TO MY GRANDSON?!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a really short chapter... but I'm hoping to write more later this week!
> 
> Question. Do you guys like it when I respond to comments? I know I love it when an author comments back to me, even if it looks like I'm padding the review count...


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the amount of shenanigans currently happening on the Moby Dick, Haruta could safely say that it's too early for this bullshit.

With the amount of shenanigans currently happening on the Moby Dick, Haruta could safely say that it's too early for this bullshit. Garp jumped on their ship (also what exactly is the bastard wearing? Normaly he's in his white suit with his marine coat around his shoulders, why would he be in a fluorescent tie dye button-down shirt with pictures of pineapples all over and shorts? He's wearing a dog mask! Just what?) and shouted about his grandson. Haruta wanted, and refused, to investigate that particular family tree. He preferred his sanity intact thank you very much.

"GO AWAY SHITTY GRAMPS!" was screamed from the imitation monkey behind pops. Eyes widened all over the ship. Apparently they had adopted the Marine Hero's and potentially Dragon's kid. _Nope. Not thinking about it. I refuse to even contemplate this!_

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BECOME A MARINE!!!"

"NEVER!"

A dark, dangerous gravity slammed over the deck, interrupting the budding argument. "As entertaining as this is, Monkey D. Garp, explain exactly what you are doing on my ship." With Pop's interjection, the marine visibly calmed his features.

"I saw something extremely interesting in the news the other day and needed to investigate. Now. Pirates. How exactly did my grandson get hurt?"

"Oi!" Haruta sighed. The idiot kid was going to get himself killed if he kept intruding on a conversation between giants. "Shitty Gramps! Where are my brothers?"

Absolute silence covered the crew. That was a twist no one was expecting. The half feral gremlin they had picked up all those months ago had siblings? Dragon had procreated more than once? _NO. No thinking about that._

Garp's face fell. "Brat. What are you talking about?" The slow way he talked implied that he really didn't want the answer to that. "What's the last thing you remember?" How in the fuck did he know about the amnesia?!

"The fire in Grey Terminal! I sent Luffy away. Is he ok? And where is Sabo? Did we save him?"

"My brat's just fine. He's still on Dawn. You both made it out of the fire just fine."

"Sabo?"

"The other brat... His ship was sunk by the tenryobito. He didn't make it." 

Oh. Well Shit.

Ace climbed to Pop's shoulder in an instant and a flying ball of rage and flame and grief launched itself off towards Garp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so hard to write... Garp is either 0 or 100 there is no in between. And trying to write him seriously is like pulling teeth. I'm not currently happy with this chapter.
> 
> So Ace now remembers a little over half of his life. This will be interesting.


End file.
